Patience is a Virtue

Last year, I laid the ground work for my perennial flower garden and was feeling a little down about the way the flower garden looked - plants were small, floppy (from moving/dividing them) and there was no "style". The pictures in BHG haunted me - why can't my garden look like that?!

This spring proved it was worth the wait! The irises are tall and hearty. The roses are tall and bushy. The autumn joy, lamb's ear, candy tuft, and lilies have multiplied 3x their previous size. Even my $2.99 Clematis from Walmart has come back (it died last year). There is so much to go around that I have been dividing them up and planting them in new places in the yard. It's still early enough (in my zone) that dividing and replanting won't prevent this summer's bloom. I found that the key to dividing now is to keep the soil around the roots intact.



Now that I have enough plants to go around, I'm replanting the roses, irises and autumn joy to create some symmetry in the garden bed. I'm massing in color to create a bolder statement especially from afar. Also, I'm planning ahead and thinking about how I can plant things so that there is something blooming throughout the summer.

April is almost over

I can't believe it's the end of April already! I have been diligently working on the house and garden, so I haven't had time to update here. I have lots to share from out trip to Italy. I was so amazed by the container gardening there. I'm trying to catch up in the garden, so here's a quick update:

• cleaned debris
• weeded
• thinned out irises, coral bells, lilies, hostas, autumn joy
• planted tons of peas outdoors
• planted english cucumbers and lemon cucumbers
• planted yellow squash
• still tending to my seedlings
• expanded the garden area
• set up stakes and trellises

Wonderful Weekend

It was a wonderful weekend with temperatures in the upper 60's-70's. I wasn't the only one who was happy. I took all my plants and seedlings outside.



I cleaned all around the yard, raked up the leaves and cleared away the old for new growth. We also picked up some pavers for where we place the garbage cans.



We raked away the dead sod, leveled the ground and place the pavers down.



Tada!

Les Fleurs

Today, I sowed some flowers in a flat.

• Alyssum
• Lupine
• Scabiosa
• Calendula
• Violas
• Wallflower
• Nigella
• Bellflower

2-25-09

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

This year, I wanted to grow more Chinese veggies. Not only does my husband love them, they are low in carbs, refreshing and remind me of home (NYC). Baker Creek has a variety of seeds including many Chinese vegetables. I know I said I was done with buying seeds, but it's addicting! There are so many things I want to try.

• Canton Giant Wax melon - I think this is what is known as "winter melon". I actually had to wiki it to make sure. Wintermelon soup is my favorite.
  
• Mustard green - I make soup that my Burmese friend taught me, but if I get enough I'll try pickling some. I love pickled mustard greens with salted pork over rice, of course!
• Spinach
• Bokchoy
• Cabbage
• Armenian "cucumber"

I'll have lots of veggies this summer. I plan on freezing as much as I can for next winter. I hope we can eat it all.

And so it begins...

Based on the farmer's almanac, the last frost date in my area is April 1st. This weekend, I started some seeds that needed to be started indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost.

Artichokes
Bell peppers
Jalapeno peppers
Red chili peppers
Genovese Tomatoes
China Asters
Red Nasturtiums
Chinese Forget Me Not
Hollyhock
Fairy Tale Eggplant


I'm waiting for my eggplant seeds and I'll start those asap along with some flowers that take several weeks to emerge.